Canteen reform from the perspective of the parents of nursery children in Békéscsaba

Abstract

It is important to provide sufficient quantity of good quality food for young children. The bases of healthy diet should be learned as a child and nurseries have an important role in shaping the children’s eating habits and forming their taste. This paper summarizes research results about the canteen reform introduced in nurseries on 1st January, 2015. A total of 140 questionnaires were collected from parents or grandparents of the young children attending nurseries in Békéscsaba. We asked them about their pre-reform and post-reform opinions on the children’s food and what they think of the implemented reform. The answers indicated that the parents were satisfied with the nursery caretakers who always gave detailed information about the child’s meal and provided the possibility to discuss problems, most of the parents were well informed about the the nursery canteen reform and the majority agreed with it. Our proposals based on the research are: The parents should have more influence and their opinion should be asked about the catering of their children. Opinions of the nursery caretakers and the catering managers should also be considered, since they spend a lot of time with the young children at the nursery. The changes in the nursery catering should have been implemented more gradually.